“Ladies and gentlemen, in preparation for takeoff, we ask that you turn off all electronic devices, stow your carry-on items beneath the seat in front of you and put your tray table in its upright and locked position.”
When you hear these instructions and your destination is somewhere warm and inviting, life becomes so simple and free for the average SMU student. Those simple flight instructions, being the last few rules you will have all week, entice you to imagine the extreme vacation south of the border.
There will be no professor wondering why you didn’t show up to your 8 a.m. class, no paper assigned Monday that’s due Wednesday, no advisor appointment about your summer internship opportunities and, best of all, no parents wondering why your bank account is so low a week and a half into the month.
You have your best friends to your left and right in seats D and F. Although you don’t have the aisle or window seat, Cabo San Lucas is a quick trip and Air Mexicana is ready to make you a stiff one. Everything becomes clearer and clearer as the plane reaches higher altitudes. Or does it?
“It is now safe to move about the cabin.”
With this news, you are beginning to feel free to move about the world. But you decide to sit back, relax and enjoy your short flight to what could be bad decisions. But don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many students at SMU are fleeing the country and with their parents’ consent. Tickets are destined for Cabo San Lucas, Playa Del Carmen and even the Bahamas. It all begins to sound so foreign.
“My parents didn’t want me going to the Bahamas, but I convinced my mom she raised a responsible child,” said sophomore Hilary Danielson of Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Safety is most parents’ first concern whether they express that or not, especially pertaining to the laws of a foreign country. When sophomore Cassie Gill of Long Beach, Calif., called her parents to tell them her spring break plans, which of her friends are going and how much the “all-inclusive hotel” will cost, she didn’t get the answer she was looking for. Her parents were immediately concerned for her safety.
“I have no idea what the law entails in Mexico if one of my friends got arrested,” said Gill. “But I know it is not good, whatever it is.”
Eventually, Gill received the OK from her parents, but she had to provide some insight on how she will protect herself in an emergency.
“The captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign as we may encounter unexpected turbulence. Please return to your seat.”
In an article titled “Alcohol-soaked spring break lures students abroad” by USA TODAY writer Donna Leinwand, travel agents are closely identified as suspects behind the poor decision making by naive college students. Leinwand is appalled by the slogans that travel agents use to get students to take their bait, if you will. Some travel firms emphasize the youthful drinking age of 18 years old while others promise “free drinking all week long.”
While spring break might be “alcohol-soaked,” students will have to remember the unfortunate circumstance that trouble comes with any age, from any jurisdiction. In other words, Americans stick out like a sore thumb, and there is no cold water to dull the pain. Police and other law enforcement officials are waiting for students from all across the U.S. to come party on their side of the border. April and May might as well be Christmas morning in Mexico for two months straight. Leinwand points out that liquor and beer companies are in part responsible for “redefining spring break.”
“Everyone always thinks it won’t happen to them,” said SMU parent, Cheri Francis. “Students become very naive on spring break.”
It is the phrase “fun in the sun,” that becomes more and more enticing to every young adult’s mind.
“Beach, bikinis, boys and blackout,” Gill describes, “but what some college students may want to consider is the idea of where to draw the line.”
That’s what Danielson plans to do. “In order to protect myself, I won’t go anywhere without a friend,” said Danielson, “and I won’t be drinking that much either.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are now making our initial descent. In preparation for landing, please make sure your tray table and chair are in their upright and locked positions and all electronic devices are turned off at this time. We will be on the ground shortly.”
So sit back, relax and ask yourself: What role you will play on spring break? Drink that Corona, have a few airplane tacos and forget about school. But think about your other decisions that will directly affect you and both friends in seats D and F. And remember, it’s OK to take the middle seat sometimes.
“You don’t have to play the moral warrior on spring break,” said Francis, “but you don’t have to get wasted either.”
